---
title: "'Why hasn’t the Police Minister been fired?' Inside the Madlanga Commission"
description: "Why do South Africa’s most powerful leaders refuse to act, even in the face of crisis? In this episode of The Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi speaks to Corruption Watch Executive Director Lebogang Ramafoko about the Madlanga Commission, political accountability, and the failure of leadership at the highest levels of the state. They unpack why commissions of inquiry rarely lead to consequences, and how party politics overrides the public interest. From the legacy of Zondo to the cost paid by whistleblowers, this conversation asks a blunt question: when power sits at the fault line between politics and force, who is actually being protected?"
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "THE READINESS REPORT"
author: "Redi Tlhabi"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/redi-tlhabi/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-01-28-why-hasnt-the-police-minister-been-fired-inside-the-madlanga-commission/"
published: "2026-01-28T19:37:35"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 71
---

# 'Why hasn’t the Police Minister been fired?' Inside the Madlanga Commission

> Why do South Africa’s most powerful leaders refuse to act, even in the face of crisis? In this episode of The Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi speaks to Corruption Watch Executive Director Lebogang Ramafoko about the Madlanga Commission, political accountability, and the failure of leadership at the highest levels of the state. They unpack why commissions of inquiry rarely lead to consequences, and how party politics overrides the public interest. From the legacy of Zondo to the cost paid by whistleblowers, this conversation asks a blunt question: when power sits at the fault line between politics and force, who is actually being protected?

By Redi Tlhabi · Published 28 January 2026, 21:37 SAST

## Content

[YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyqQiXwl8xQ)

[Media](https://player.simplecast.com/c96fbf9b-56e9-4df6-9766-b6b98e84f3dd?dark=false)

This episode was made possible thanks to [The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom](https://www.freiheit.org/sub-saharan-africa).

Hosted by: Redi Tlhabi 
Guest: Lebogang Ramafoko 
Edited by: Joel Seboa 
Produced by: Emilie Gambade & Joel Seboa 
Original Theme Music & Design by: Bernard Kotze

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